Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-06-14
WORK OF IDLE CLERKS.


is fairly good. On the next page is bond
for 81 900, issued at the same date, and on
the following one is another for 81 600, but
this is not made payable until 1893, and its
long list of coupons make it as large as the
page in which this letter is printed. 1t was
issued in 1868. The paper is poorer than
hose Of the first bonds, the engraving Is
,oorly done, and it could be easily counter
cited. Some of the Confederate money, l
am told here, was counterfeited and, strange
to say the counterfeiting was done in Wash
ington, and the counterfeiters were arrested
by the government of the United States, and
not by those of the Confederate government
Some of these bonds are issued at 6 per
cent, and are made pay able two years after
the signing of a treaty Of peace with the
United States government Some bear the
ACE of jefferson Davis, others that of Alex
,nder H. Stephens and not a few that Of
'tonewall Jackson.
The collection of postage stamps is nearly
complete, and am told.that the postmasters
IF the United States were continued as far as
possible in office when they would acknowl-
edge the Confederacy, and the postal organi-
alton was kept as nearly in its old form as
possible. At first the stamps Of the United
States were used, but later on those of the
Confederacy were adopted.
There are a number of envelopes in this
scrap book which show how hard up the Con-
federate government was during its latter
days Envelopes once used were turned in
side out and used again. Some are made of
wall paper, and their outsides are of all the
colors of the rainbow, and others are made of
ordinary paper, and look as though they
might have been cut out with a hand saw.
Paper became very scarce during the last
days Of the Confederacy, and this scarcity
extended to the government as well as to
private citizens.
Some of the government orders are kept
here printed OH the back Of wall paper, and
here is a newspaper here that Is printed on
one side of sheet Of this material. The
Confedcrates made some paper, and there are
envelopes here of their manufacture. They
are not very good, however, and show that
they are the work of amateurs. The money,
so far as smaller issues are concerned, of both
the states and the national government, is
printed on very poor paper, and during the
latter days Of the Confederacy tickets were
issued by firms at Richmond in the place Of
smaller CHI rnge, calling for so much on de
mand. State issues, ranging from five cent!
to 81, were on similar paper, and one l re
, member certified that the state of Soutl
: Carolina would pay the bearer five cents OF
|, the presentation Of the ticket about the siz
Of visiting card, on which the promise wa
made. The date of this note was February
1868, and its ink was so poor that it is now al
-, most faded out. On other pages l saw
, number Of commissions for major general
|. and brigadier generals headed jefferson
Davis, President of the Confederate States O
America" and there are among these paper
passes through the lines, orders for supplies
fka ,faJn 60
ceipts for money paid for bonds, and thou
>, sand and one curiosities which it is hardl
. possible to accurately describe.
:, One paper, dated March Is, 1864, repre-
: scented an account put in by a Confederat
lieutenant: "For cash paid for the hire of dog
; two days to hunt deserters." The amount d,
= manded was s25, and it was certified as col
;, rect and the receipt of the claimant is az
pended to it.
D Among these Confederate archives is ke1
a pair of pistols which were taken from Je
/ rerson Davis when he was captured. The
y are heavy, clumsy looking weapons, and loo
more like double barreed shotguns turne
3 into pistols than like the revolver Of the pre-
. emit.
Il The department has also full set of I'll
4 signal flags used by the Confederate troop
' and there is large collection of articl
q WHICH WeTt CuptuIeu Ill Tue SOUleueTdt6 0et
letter Office, embracing photographs, letter
Valentines fancy articles, information fro
the spies of both sides, counterfeit none
etc, etc. 1t has also a complete list Of Il
Confederate senators and representatives
they appeared on the pay rolls, togeth
with the copies OF bills and resolutions intr
duced in Congress.
The Confederate congress met on Feb
1861, at Montgomery Alabama. 1t was fiji
known as the provisional congress, and
such it had but one house and held four s.
sions. After the permanent constitution "
adopted there were two congresses, the first
which met Feb. IS, 1862, and which duri
its existence held four sessions. The seco
congress met on the 2d of May 1864, and
held only two sessions. 1t finally adjourn
in haste on the 18th of March, 1865. In I
IN first congress there were members for d
I'd tricts in Missouri and Kentucky, althou
Mt these states had never seeded. But in I
e, second congress the number Of members
IF. the house and senate became much less.
as its best estate the Confederate senate nu
no bered 26and the house 100, and in both c.
crosses Thomas s. Bocock was speaker NJ
90 Of the sittings of the Confederate congr
re were secret, and the government minist
IL and the president had the right to sit in tn
70 and to speak upon the floor. am told ii
IL the cabinet ministers often conferred W
y, congress in this manner, though Presid,
n Davis did not appear in person. The G.
rf federate constitution was very much like u
TO of the United States, save that it reeognii
re- slavery and was free trade in character.
ed prohibited a protective tariff and also p
n hibted the African slave trade.
Is The following is full list OF the memb
lis OF President Jefferson Davis cabinet "
Il